Using Instagram Stories For Business | Guest Blog: Tommy Morgan

Well this is a first and I am just absolutely honored that I get to share this today! Last year, I headed to Northern Virginia for an engagement session and I left having made two friends who made my entire week. Hannah and Tommy are getting married this year and I am the lucky, lucky girl who gets to be there for this beautiful event. Tommy is a whiz at social media and tweeting and we got to talking during the engagement session and he offered to guest blog for me to share his wealth of knowledge! Tommy — THANK YOU! If you’re new to Instastories let him help you out a little to showcase how YOU can utilize them for your small business! 🙂 He sent this to me a few months ago — so it was written a little closer to the release of Instagram stories but it still perfectly helpful and relevant!

Using Instagram Stories for Your Small Business

Instagram recently unveiled its new Stories feature that allows users to post photos and videos in a chronological succession to tell a “story” over the course of a day. You’ve probably seen the endless debates over whether or not this new feature is better or worse than Snapchat, but regardless it’s here to stay and something small businesses should have been utilizing yesterday!

How can small businesses benefit from Instagram Stories? There are several ways. Unlike Snapchat, which is also a useful tool for small businesses (you can make a geofilter for your small business now!), Instagram Stories allow you to connect with a target audience that you are already engaging with.

More content to your targeted audience

If you have an established Instagram following for your small business, then you should have been doing backflips and/or frontflips when Instagram Stories were introduced. This audience that you are already engaging is primed and ready to receive content that they are not already consuming.

Let’s use a bakery as an example. Mama’s Lil’ Bakery has a loyal following on Instagram that enjoys posts of delicious treats they are baking. Mama’s Lil’ Bakery can now use Stories to give their followers a behind-the-scenes look leading up to the next Instagram post of absolute deliciousness. They can show how the baking process works, what the business culture is like when customers aren’t around, or even announce upcoming specials and promotions.

All of this new content is being absorbed by an audience that is already engaged through your Instagram account!

Synchronized campaigns

If your business is already on Snapchat you now have the chance to synchronize your “live” campaigns to reach a larger audience. You can repurpose the content you are sharing on one platform to the other to make sure all of your audiences are being engaged. The introduction of Instagram Stories has made it easier for you to ensure that no customer is left behind when it comes to your messaging.

Shameless advertising

Social media is an interactive media channel that businesses can use to promote their missions, products, and services. The Stories feature is another platform that allows you to advertise your business with an added personal touch if you’d so like!

Instagram Stories have opened the door of endless possibilities for small businesses of all types. Allow the personal brand that makes your small business so unique to engage your Instagram audience that is already enjoying your tailored photo and video content.